CareFlite President & CEO James C. Swartz presents a 2007 Great First Responders Award to Captain Cheryl Holmes of the Mineral Wells Fire/EMS Department on behalf of CareFlite and North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

Plano Fire Chief Hugo Esparza (left) and Chief Thompson (right) present a 2007 Great First Responders Award on July 6th to Lindy Lawley, Plano Fireman and EMT-P on behalf of CareFlite and North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

CareFlite President & CEO James C. Swartz presents a 2007 Great First Responders Award to Captain Tim Fletcher of Greenwood Slidell Fire Department in Wise County on behalf of CareFlite and North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. The presentation took place on the evening of Tuesday, July 10th.

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck MD, center, presented Great First Responder Awards on behalf of CareFlite and North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. The group presentation took place on the evening of June 21st at the Arlington Convention Center. The other winners shown above this photo were unable to attend the formal event on that date.

About Great First Responder Awards: First responders are the unsung heroes who respond day and night, in all kinds of weather, to life threatening situations without hesitation or delay. A first responder can be a fireman, an EMT, a policewoman, or a communications specialist in a first responder agency. They can be a paid professional in an urban department or a volunteer in a small, rural community. They all have a few things in common. They care about their fellow citizens and are willing to respond to all kinds of emergencies including some horrific situations. They are usually the first ones on the scene. They must make quick decisions, often in seconds, that can determine whether someone will survive a terrible accident. They must take care of the patient, protect the public and summon help. Sometimes at night. Sometimes in awful weather. And sometimes alone. But even if they are alone, they are backed up by a team of people who are ready, on a moment’s notice, to bring additional resources. They don’t ask for your health insurance card. They don’t ask whether you are a citizen. They assess your situation and proceed to give you as much aid and comfort as they can. These are First Responders. These are our community’s first line of defense against the tragic events that occur in our communities all too often.

Great First Responder Awards honor a group of first responders chosen by their peers in each of the departments represented. The best of the best in North Texas. Unsung heroes. Unrecognized heroes. We honor them for:

For going above and beyond the call of duty as a first responder. For commitment
to the highest level of emergency care in the field. For demonstrating rofessionalism
and setting the standard for your peers in life threatening situations. For putting service
above self and making our communities better places to live.

We also recognize their families for the support and encouragement they offer the first responder in their family. A father, a mother, a husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister. Without family support, these award winners and all first responders would find their mission difficult if not impossible.

The Great First Responder Awards program is co-sponsored by CareFlite and the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

CareFlite operates helicopter Air Ambulance bases in Dallas, Fort Worth, Granbury, McKinney, Gainesville, and Whitney Texas, as well as a
Fixed Wing Ambulance that extends our Air Medical Transportation services to a radius of over 500 miles from the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.
Our Ground Ambulance operations provide 911 and Emergency Ambulance services in Hill County, Kaufman County, Southeast Dallas County,
Ellis County ESD #5, and the City of Balch Springs as well as Non-emergency and Wheelchair services to the greater Dallas Fort Worth and
North Central Texas area. CareFlite also provides 911 Dispatch services for 911 areas that we service with Ground Ambulance.

Our Caring-Heart Membership Program is designed to protect your finances when you need it most. Caring-Heart Members with medical insurance
coverage are not billed for any of CareFlite's medical transportation costs after the insurance provider has made payment. Members without
insurance will receive a 50% discount on CareFlite's medical expenses.